RedBlack
by Van Donovan
Summary: The Power is stronger, stranger and more influential than anyone realizes, including Zordon.  Jason/Zack slash.
1. Chapter 1

I have been sitting on this fic for a while and thought now was a good time to release part one. I always tell people my favorite PR slash pair is Jason/Zack, but I hadn't written any fics really featuring them to prove it! So, this is to remedy that, and to further promote my completely fanon belief regarding teams that have Black Rangers. There is a chance I will write a story like this for all Black Rangers, but we'll see. Hope you enjoy!

**Title:** Red/Black

**Main Pairing:** Jason/Zack

**Background/mentioned pairings:** Jason/Emily, Adam/Tanya, Tommy/Kim, Tommy/Kat, Kim/Skull, Rocky/Adam.

**Era: **Zeo through Turbo

**Warnings:** mentioned homophobia, Power addiction, adult language

**Summary:** The Power is stronger, stranger and more influential than anyone realizes.

* * *

"Thanks, but I'm just not interested."

"You always say that. When _are _you interested? Emily's a nice girl!"

Jason shook his head at Tanya, but let his gaze drift toward Emily again. She was an attractive girl: fit and bright; beautiful by anyone's standards. As he watched her wiping down the table, he realized he found her graceful and alluring—so why _wasn't _he attracted to her? He shrugged and pushed the thought aside. "I guess I need more than just 'nice'?"

"Jason Lee Scott," Tanya admonished. "From what Billy and Tommy have told me, you've never gone out on a date with _anyone_. I really think it's time you thought about lowering your standards. Emily is totally into you, totally available and I think you're into her. What's the problem here?"

"She was practically involved with a gang?" Jason sighed. He knew that was a weak excuse; she'd done a complete 180 since walking away from Eddie. "Emily's pretty and nice and all, but . . ." He shrugged again. His disinterest was impossible to articulate. "I guess she's just not really my type?"

Tanya stared. "What _is _your type?"

Jason tried not to think about it; he just knew Emily wasn't it. It was probably closer to _Tanya_, if anyone, and even that was way off. He could only offer another elaborate shrug as he went back to his smoothie.

Tanya shook her head in disbelief. "What do the girls in the magazines you get off to at night look like?"

Jason nearly spluttered on his drink. Tanya certain had a way with words that Kat didn't. "I don't do that sort of thing!"

Tanya stared. "Are you _serious_?" She laughed, then sobered when he didn't join her. "Well, you must be the only guy in Angel Grove who doesn't."

Jason frowned. His gaze redirected to Emily as she brought another table their drinks. He made himself really look at her. In the sunlight, her hair sparkled. "You really think she's into me?" Maybe it _was _time he got a girlfriend. It had never bothered him before, but Tanya was right; excepting a few dates, he'd never had a serious relationship. Not _really_.

If nothing else, bringing a girl like Emily home would certainly please his parents.

"_Hello_?" Tanya rolled her eyes. "I thought it was obvious."

As if on cue, Emily noticed Jason's glance, and gave him a smile.

"You should go talk to her."

Jason averted his eyes. "I've talked to her plenty before." He drained his smoothie. "I introduced you two, if you don't remember."

"I mean _talk _to her. Ask her out. She already thinks you're interested."

"Why? Because I talked to her?"

"Yes, dummy. And because you didn't drool on her breasts while you were doing so."

"That's disgusting."

"Believe me, a girl as pretty as Emily's gotten a lot worse."

"I dunno . . ."

"Trust me, Jason. You should do this."

Jason didn't really want to pursue this. There were plenty of reasons why. He was the Gold Ranger now. He had to focus on saving the world, not dating. He had to graduate high school and maintain his GPA and his karate classes. He had to finish his college applications. He had to put everything that had happened in Switzerland behind him. His life had been fine without a girlfriend for years; why change it now?

Yet. Maybe he should. It had been a long time since he'd gone on a date—a _real _date, the kind he could tell people about. Still, doubt nagged at him. "I'm so busy lately; I'm not sure dating is such a good idea."

"Look, Adam and I have two extra tickets to the game on Friday. Why don't you ask Emily to go with you? That's pretty casual, and a double date, so you'll have two friends along in case you need help."

Jason stared at her. "You and Adam are dating?"

Tanya stared back. "Honestly, what planet do you live on? I've heard of colorblind, but not relationshipblind."

A little alarm went off on Jason's watch, redirecting his attention. "Shoot, I've gotta run."

"What's that?"

"It's my alarm. My friend Zack—you know, _Zack_—he calls me from Geneva every day at five. I've got about seven minutes to get home. I'll consider the game on Friday. Talk to you more about it later!"

Jason took off at a run, but he glanced back at Tanya when he got to his car in the parking lot and saw her staring after him with one incredulously arched eyebrow.

The double date with Emily went off without a hitch, and the end result left Jason feeling way more confident than he'd expected.

Emily was everything a guy like him could want in a girl. She was smart, attractive and even occasionally funny. She had a steady job at Ernie's, and once they'd gotten over the initial awkwardness of first dates, Jason felt like they really had a chance of going somewhere. It was different, sometimes a little scary, but she was nice and a wonderful distraction.

Emily was interested in talking to him about everything. He found he could open up to her in a way he rarely could with anyone else, including his Ranger friends. He still wasn't completely sold on the idea girlfriends—there were things Emily said or wanted or did that perplexed him to no end—but, overall, he enjoyed her company.

Initially, Tanya was pleased with the results, but after her relationship with Adam had naturally petered out, her enthusiasm for Jason's relationship with Emily had waned, as well. Months later, she didn't even know they were still dating, until somehow kissing got brought up.

"What do you _mean _you haven't even kissed her yet?" The look on Tanya's face could only properly be described as horrified.

"What?" Jason shrugged. "It's just not important to us. We enjoy talking more."

"Are you serious? You two have been going out for _months _now. How is she okay with this? How are _you _okay with this?"

Jason shook his head. "We're just not there yet, that's all. I've had other things on my mind."

Tanya blinked a few times. "You're not a Ranger anymore. School is all but out. What on _Earth _could be keeping you from _kissing _her?"

As if on cue, Jason's wristwatch alarm went off. He couldn't believe it was already five! "I've just been busy; maybe now that things have settled, that'll change." He got to his feet.

"But you haven't been too busy to meet up every day for international phone chats with _Zack_?"

"Zack's my best friend."

"Bros before hos, is it?"

Jason frowned; there was no way he could explain it. "Something like that. Look, don't worry about us. Emily and I are fine; better than fine. You're still a Ranger; you've got way more important things to worry about."

Within five minutes, he was home, curled up on his bed, waiting for his phone to ring. After the obligatory greetings, he launched right into a quick retelling of the conversation with Tanya. "Can you believe it?"

"That you've been with this girl for several months and haven't kissed yet? Man, no! What's wrong with you?"

Jason blinked. It was one thing to hear it from Tanya, but another to hear it from Zack. Zack was his _bro_. They implicitly understood each other in all things. He was supposed to _get _this. "What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? After all these months you two should be banging! You seriously haven't even _kissed _yet? The hell!"

Jason frowned. "It just hasn't come up, I guess." He'd felt confident saying it around Tanya, but found he was second guessing himself now.

"'Hasn't come up'? Man."

"You think I should?"

"I can't believe you're asking advice for this. Isn't it obvious? If you like her, you should kiss her."

"But . . . I like a lot of people."

"Emily's your _girlfriend_, bro. You're supposed to like her more than other people."

The words discomfited him. "What if I don't?"

Zack was silent for a long time, the way he always got silent when the topic took a turn toward the serious. "I thought you said you _really _liked her?"

"I do. But . . ."

"Not enough to kiss her?"

Jason kicked his shoes off. "I should just go back to being asexual."

"_What_?"

"Asexual. It just means someone not interested in sex. I wasn't for most of high school, you know. It just didn't register for me. There were more important things to worry about than sex and relationships."

For a time, all Jason could hear were the pops along the international connection. "Never heard of anything that. Who isn't into sex?"

"Me, I guess." Jason let his skull thump back on the headboard. "It's something Billy told me, once." He took a deep breath. "My dad kept worrying I was, you know, _gay _because I wasn't going out with any girls, but." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I got to talking about it with Billy not long before he went to Aquitar. He said there's a bunch of different types of sexuality out there; loads more than just gay and straight. He said he's something called pansexual and thought . . . based on my experience, he thought maybe I'm asexual."

Zack was quiet for even longer this time. "You talked to _Billy _about this sort of stuff and not me?"

The words hurt Jason more than he cared to admit. "You're just not here, bro. It's nothing personal."

"_You're _the one who's not _here_."

"I know." Jason scrubbed his fingers through his hair. His chest suddenly hurt in a way that it hadn't in months and he wished he'd not brought it up at all. "I wanted to stay. You know I just couldn't."

"There were grants. You could've found a way."

The alarm on Jason's mantle went off, signifying the end of their thirty minutes, and he let out a breath of relief. "Listen, I've got to go."

"Forget the alarm for once, Jase. You could've found a way to stay, if you'd wanted to."

"I wanted to."

"Then why are you back in Angel Grove? If you're so asexual, why have you been dating this Emily girl for months?"

"You know I couldn't stay, Zack. As for Emily, I had to at least try. I thought maybe if I dated her, maybe things would change." He felt the carefully crafted falsehood they'd created together starting to crack.

"You and I both know you're not asexual, Jase." His tone was flat.

A cold sweat broke out along his back. "I've got to go, Zack."

"Don't you dare hang up on me, Jason."

"Sorry. I've really gotta go."

"You can't keep pretending it didn't happen. We _have _to talk about this someday!"

"Not today. I'm sorry. I've . . . I've gotta go." Jason hung up the phone and tossed the cordless across the bed, as if Zack could somehow still berate him through it. He stared at it for several minutes, willing Zack to call back. Across the planet, as the connection between them began to fizzle, he could all too clearly see Zack sadly staring down at his phone receiver.

Letting out a grunt of frustration, Jason threw himself back on his bed.

* * *

After almost killing Tommy when possessed by Maligore, Jason found he really wasn't ready to be around the Rangers again. If Rocky hadn't been hurt and Kimberly hadn't been there, Jason would have bowed out of the shelter charity event and slunk off unnoticed, just like he had after losing the Gold powers.

"It's weird, isn't it?" Kimberly said, sitting down next to him.

In the distance, the Rangers were celebrating with the kids from the shelter, helping Ernie pass out smoothies and snacks. Jason didn't answer or even look at her.

She sighed wistfully. "Seeing all of them over there and feeling like you should be a part of it, but you're not."

"Missing Tommy, are you?"

"Yes, but not in that way. I miss all of them."

"It's not the same anymore." He glanced over at her and his heart tightened slightly; looking at her was still like looking into the past. "Everything's different now. Different powers, different people, different Power Chamber. Even Alpha's different these days."

"And now it's all just changed again."

"I shouldn't have come back." Jason stared at his hands in his lap. "I wanted to help out, but I didn't think it'd . . . be so difficult. I didn't anticipate Divatox."

"Believe me, I understand. I don't regret coming and I don't regret leaving when I did, but I miss my friends. I haven't really connected with anyone in Florida the way I did with you guys. Only, now you guys aren't here anymore, either. One of my best friend's is in Switzerland, one is in Africa somehow, and one is on another _planet _. . ."

"Yeah." Jason put his arm around her. "I know what you mean. My best friend's in Switzerland, too. I wish I could say 'road trip' and we could go off and visit them."

Kimberly chuckled. "Bit of a drive." Her head tilted. "Although, you know . . . my uncle Steve flies planes for a living. He's got some pretty awesome connections. Maybe he could get us a discount. He got my mom amazingly cheap tickets to Paris once, and that's not very far from Switzerland, is it?"

Jason blinked. "Not at all. There's a train that runs right between Paris and Geneva." He dismissively shook his head. "I couldn't take a plane ticket from your uncle, though. That's way too much money."

"Not if he could swing us free or super cheap tickets. Hey, it could happen."

The thought of going back to Switzerland made Jason's pulse quicken. "Even if he could, it's still really expensive over there . . ."

Kimberly nudged him with her shoulder. "So save up for a little while."

"I just wish . . ." Jason shook his head.

"What?"

He flexed his fingers. "Just . . . that Zordon would let us teleport back and forth, even just once."

"Did you ever ask?"

"No. But, he almost didn't let Tanya teleport out of the country once, and that was to try and save her parents and _she _was a Ranger. He's never going to let two former Rangers do it for a vacation."

"Yeah, you're right." She smiled. "But that doesn't mean we can't go. At least you saw Zack a year ago. I haven't seen Trini in three years! Three _years_! I wanna go and I want you," she linked their arms, "to go with me."

"Kim . . ."

"No buts. You're gonna get your behind out to Florida, and we'll fly from Orlando. Tickets to Europe are way cheaper off the east coast, believe me. And my uncle will hook us up, so you just save up money for food and lodging. We're not in high school anymore, and this is the last chance we're going to get to do something like this before college. It'll be fun. Trust me."

Jason did trust Kim—he always had—but that didn't make the trip easier to justify to anyone, including himself. There were a lot of reasons he had left Switzerland when he did, but the main—at least, the one he told everyone, and had convinced himself—was that he and his parents just couldn't afford it anymore. So, how could he justify going back for a _vacation _now?

Part of him had hoped Kimberly would go back to Florida and forget all about it, but she hadn't. On top of juggling phone calls from Zack every evening, he took to dealing with hers as well.

"What do you mean you haven't told Zack yet?" Kimberly gave him a patient sigh. "I've had this planned for months! We're leaving in three weeks!"

Although _he _knew the reason full well, Jason couldn't articulate why to _her_. "It just hasn't come up, I guess. We only talk for thirty minutes a day."

"A _day_! You've been saving for this for months! How have you not told him? I was so excited I called Trini in the middle of night to let her know."

"I don't know. I figured he'd hear it from Trini." He stared across his bedroom at his mirrored closet door. "Maybe he has."

Kimberly was silent for a period of time. "Jase, what's wrong?"

He blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what's wrong? This isn't like you. Don't you want to visit?"

Jason held his reflection's gaze. "Yeah, of course." He averted his eyes. "It's just . . ."

Kimberly remained absolutely quiet on the other end.

Jason sighed and scrubbed a hand through his short cropped hair. He should've told Zack about the trip and he definitely shouldn't have done anything to make Kimberly suspicious that anything was wrong.

"Did something happen in Geneva?"

"What?"

"You're acting like something bad happened. Like it was more than money that made you leave."

"No." He licked his lips, tasting lies. "No, it was good. It was _great_." He felt his stomach knot up and had to stop. "God, I don't want to do this over the phone. Why do you have to be so far away?"

"Are you and Zack fighting?"

"No." It wasn't a lie, not really, and yet his stomach churned again. Jason pressed his back to the headboard and drew his knees close. "Yes. Maybe. I don't know." It was close enough to the truth, at last, that a little more was able to come out. "I just . . . don't think he'll want to see me again." He swallowed.

"What? But . . . why? You two talk every day! Surely being in person again would be better than that."

"Yeah." Jason shivered slightly at just the thought. "I want to see him again. I just . . . I'm just not sure I ought to. It's different over the phone."

"What are you not telling me?"

Sighing, Jason glanced to his bedroom door. It was shut, but that was no real indicator of privacy; he could hear his dad watching the game in the living room. Although it hadn't much appealed to him before, he wished now he had one of those new cell phones that were getting so popular. Maybe then he could find a place that felt private enough to talk—_really _talk. "Have you ever . . . felt the morphing grid before?"

"What? You mean like, other than when I was morphed?"

"Yeah. No. I mean . . . like, did you ever feel it when you touched one of us? Like . . . like Tommy?" He held his breath.

"I . . . I think I know what you're asking. I don't know that I felt the morphing grid, but . . . there was _something _there, sometimes. Something Rangery."

Jason tugged at the hem on his flannels. It wasn't the answer he'd expected; or, given Kim and Tommy's current status, maybe it was exactly the one he'd expected.

At his prolonged silence, Kimberly began to piece things together. "Are you saying you . . . feel the morphing grid when you touch Zack?"

"It's . . ." Every muscle in his body froze up. His brain told him to divert the topic; to ignore it; to lie. But this was _Kim _and if ever there was someone he could confide in and talk to about this—_that wasn't Zack_—it was her. "Yeah." Much softer, he said, "Every time." She remained quiet, a somewhat impressive feat for her. Drawing a ragged breath made Jason realize just how difficult admitting _that much_ had been. "It's always there. It's like this thread between us. Only . . ." He was whispering now. "Sometimes, it's more than a thread."

"But, you're not even Rangers anymore."

"Yeah." Jason ran his hand through his hair again. "I can't explain it. It's . . . I can't explain this either, but, mine at least, is very _Red _and his is very _Black_, so I know it's. You know, Ranger related." He buried his toes into his comforter. "I thought, maybe, being Gold would change things. I thought leaving Switzerland would change it. It didn't."

"But . . ."

"It works over the phone." If any of the other Rangers had been the ones telling him this without feeling it himself, he would have been completely skeptical by this point, but Kimberly just listened. "It's . . . it's why we talk every day." The little warning flags in Jason's mind were going off, telling him to shut up, but he couldn't seem to stop. It felt so good to just tell _someone_. "If we don't talk it's like . . . like . . . going too long without caffeine." But worse, he mentally added. "The withdrawal, you know? The longer we go without talking, the harder it is to think or do stuff."

To her credit, Kimberly didn't sound weirded out. "What did Zordon say?"

"Zordon?"

"You've _told _him about this, haven't you?"

Jason looked up, blinking ruddily at his reflection. "No. It didn't really . . . start until after we stepped down, not really. I mean, it was there, but not like . . ." Stop talking, he told himself. He rearranged his thoughts. "We . . . we never had the chance when we were in Switzerland, and then . . . I don't know. I guess without Zack around, I was used to it by the time I was able to ask again. It never occurred to me." He pressed his lips together. "It wasn't like that with you and Tommy?"

"No. No. I could tell he was a Ranger, somehow, but it wasn't. Not the way you're describing." She was quiet for a few seconds. "But, Tommy and I never . . ." She let out a little sigh. "Jase, you know you can tell me anything, right?"

All of Jason's muscles were already taut. The only thing left was for his stomach to liquefy its contents, which it was suddenly attempting to do. "I'll tell Zack about the trip when he calls tomorrow. It's late here; it's got to be ungodly over there."

Kimberly sounded disappointed. "Are you sure you have to go?"

"Yeah. Thanks. I just . . . I'm not ready for all this."

"All right. I just want you to know I'm always here for you. You promise you'll tell Zack about the trip when he calls tomorrow?"

"I promise."

* * *

Sometimes, Jason dreaded the phone calls. Thinking of ways to fill up thirty minutes always daunted him, and having to deal with the potential fall out of the trip left Jason feeling tense and nervous as the date drew closer. Yet, every day, without fail, they picked up right where they'd left off. There was never any awkward silence or sense of obligation. The Red-Black thread _made _them talk to each other daily, but when they were connected it never felt like a chore.

So, it wasn't difficult to talk for twenty minutes about things completely unrelated to the trip he was taking to visit Zack in less than three weeks. It would have been so easy, as it had been every day since Kimberly had set her sights on the trip, to just go the whole conversation without bringing it up. It'd certainly keep Jason's nerves under better control.

But he had _promised_.

Although he had tried, Jason had been unable to come up with the perfect lead-in to the announcement. He decided to flounder a bit and hope it turned out for the best. "Hey, so. Guess who I talked to the other day?"

"Has to be another Ranger with a lead-in like that."

The sheer fact Zack used_ lead-in _just after Jason thought it sent tingles down through his toes. "Yeah, Kim. You remember her uncle, Steve? He was a pilot."

"Oh yeah. How could I forget him almost crashing his plane with Kim inside?"

"That's the guy." Jason tried to play it casual; like this hadn't been in the planning for months. "Turns out he gets some pretty nice deals for airline tickets these days; he scored her two to Switzerland recently, so she can visit Trini."

"What? No way! That's awesome! Oh, man! Trini is gonna be stoked." He laughed fondly. "I haven't seen Kim in like, forever! I hope," he switched to French, "_qu'elle ait exercé le français_."

Jason smiled the way he did every time Zack used French. All three of them had picked it up while in Switzerland, but Zack and Trini were much more fluent now than Jason. "I'll be sure to give her a crash course in French before we get there." That had come out naturally, hadn't it?

Zack was silent for only a few seconds. "'We'?"

Instead of the gripping fear Jason had felt with Kimberly, the Red-Black thread sent excited bubbles coursing through him. "_Oui_."

"What? You serious, bro? You're coming back to Switzerland?"

Why had he ever doubted? "Yeah, for two weeks. Kim insisted, really. I can't even begin to afford it, but with her uncle covering the ticket and her practically begging . . . Well, you know how hard it is to tell Kim no."

Some of the raw excitement faded from Zack's voice. "Where are you gonna stay?"

The thread was all that kept Jason calm. "Don't really know yet. Trini's, maybe, if there's room. Otherwise . . . maybe a youth hostel?"

Zack hesitated a moment—Jason could _feel _him hesitate—and then said, "Sophia and I broke up."

It pulled at every fiber in Jason's body, but he kept perfectly still. "Just now?"

"About a month ago."

"You didn't think that was worth mentioning until now?" Even as he said it, Jason knew why Zack hadn't mentioned it; it was exactly the same reason he had put off telling him about the trip. How many other things were they keeping from each other?

"It just never came up. I just meant . . ." Zack sighed. "Forget it."

"I'm sorry to hear about it. What happened?"

"Nothing. We just drifted apart, like we always do."

"I told Kim about the thread." He hadn't meant to say that either, but there it was.

"_What_?"

"I had to know if she'd ever felt anything like it before. With Tommy, I mean."

Zack didn't reply.

"She says they hadn't. Not . . . not like we do. I _had _to ask, bro."

"Are you sure you want to come back here?"

Softly, Jason said, "I miss you."

He felt the way the words cut through Zack, and the sad smile that followed. "I miss you like hell, man, but we _agreed _. . ."

"I know." The alarm went off on Jason's desk again, telling him his time was up. He quietly turned it off. "It's been a year, though."

"It's been over a year." There was tension in Zack, even through the connection. "We could _do this_, Jase."

The words locked him up all over again, but he closed his eyes instead of his mind this time. He concentrated on that steady Black thread, darting in and out of him, soothingly tying back together the pieces of him that were falling apart. "I can't promise anything," he said in not much more than a whisper. "But, after everything, I _do _want to see you again."

Zack's voice didn't soften any. "You know the Rules."

"Yes." Jason smiled, despite it. "I'll see you in three weeks, then? Clear your calendar."

"It's getting cold. Bring a coat."

* * *

"I see you're wearing red again."

Jason set his luggage down inside Kimberly's foyer. "Never stopped, really, just started wearing black over it." He glanced around her place. It was a typical apartment, like any other he'd seen, but the way Kimberly had decorated it made it feel like a much nicer place. "I used to think some people were born into certain colors. I liked red way before the Power Rangers came into my life."

"Ha. I know what you mean." She wasn't overwhelmingly pink today, but there was pink embroidery on her chemise. "You want a Coke or something?"

"Sure." He followed her into the kitchen, weary, but not ready to _sit _some more. "Tommy made me reevaluate that color theory."

"Tommy? Why?" She laughed. "Oh. Green-White-Red."

"Yeah."

"Well, Tommy's . . ." She stared into her fridge. "I don't think Tommy knows what he is."

"Yeah." Jason took the Coke when she handed it over and leaned heavily against the counter.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Jason took a long drink from the can. "Just . . ." He glanced at her, uncertain. "Didn't get to talk to Zack today."

To his surprise, she squeezed his arm sympathetically. "It's really that bad?"

"Yeah." He wanted to feel foolish and embarrassed, but Kimberly's accepting attitude didn't let him. "Tomorrow'll more than make up for it, I'm sure."

"Well, we've got an early flight, too, and with the time zone difference and all, it might just be a good thing you're so tired right now."

It was different than merely feeling _tired_, but Jason just nodded. He'd had a hard enough time opening up as much to her as he already had. "Yeah. I'll probably just take a quick shower and get to sleep." He pushed off the counter. "Am I couch surfing tonight?"

"Oh. Yeah." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Unless you wanted to share with me? I don't mind, and the couch is kind of uncomfy."

Jason let his eyes drift over her. Kimberly was one of the most attractive women he'd ever known, and yet he'd never been attracted _to _her. He wanted to chalk it up to the fact that they'd known each other since they were kids, but that'd certainly never stopped Billy or Zack from appreciating her physique in a way he never had. "You don't snore or anything, do you?"

"No. And I'll kick you if you do." She led the way to the bedroom. "The shower's in here too, so it's really a lot more convenient."

The bedroom was just as nicely decorated as the rest of the apartment, but Jason ignored the décor, watching Kimberly's hips as they swayed. He appreciated them the same way he had appreciated Emily's, and in exactly the same way he'd enjoyed watching the lines in Adam's body as he rollerbladed. They were beautiful people. "Let me just get my carry on." He returned the now empty Coke can to the kitchen and fetched the smaller of his suitcases.

When he crawled into bed barely an hour later, he reflected on the fact that, as far as he knew, Kimberly had never been attracted to _him_, either, and that had never made her question _her _sexuality—or lack thereof one. Their mutual disinterest hadn't bothered him at the time, but now that he noticed things like that, it had him turning over the facts.

He wasn't asleep yet when Kimberly finally crawled into bed. "Hey."

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No." He rolled onto his side, facing her. "I was just thinking."

Her body relaxed beside his, and she burrowed under the covers, instinctively rolling toward him, even though, in the darkness, they couldn't see each other. "What about?"

"Do you know what asexual means?"

She was silent a moment. "Uh. Isn't . . . that when, like, amoeba or whatever can reproduce without having sex with another amoeba?"

Jason had to breathe a soft laugh. "Well, yes. But, it's also used to mean the opposite of sexual. _A_sexual. You know, like _a_typical."

"Someone who . . . isn't sexual?"

"Yeah." The silence stretched between them.

"Gotta admit, that's not where I thought you were going with this," she quietly said.

"Man, I wish Billy was still around."

" . . . _Billy_?"

"Yeah. He's . . . he's the one who told me about asexuality. No one else I've mentioned it to has ever even heard of it."

"Well, there are libraries and thing . . ."

"They all seem to be about the amoeba kind." He rolled onto his back.

"You . . . Do you think you're asexual?"

"I don't know. Sometimes." Kimberly was one of his best friends, but he wasn't comfortable enough with _anyone _to discuss his masturbation habits or sexual fantasies. "I've always wanted a family, you know. I just never really thought much about the process of getting there."

"Have you had sex?" She paused. "Sorry. You don't have to answer that."

That Kimberly didn't have the hang ups he did was almost a relief. "It's all right." He pillowed his hands behind his head. "But, yeah. I have. It's not _bad_." He felt a little tickle roll through his stomach. "Sometimes, it's really nice."

"Then you're not asexual."

"But."

"Maybe you've just got a really low libido." She propped herself up. "Listen, Tommy will _kill me_ if he ever finds out I told you this, so _please _don't tell; it'd absolutely ruin his persona, but he's . . . Let's just say, at least when we were dating, my libido far outpaced his. Don't get me wrong; I loved him anyway, but he and Kat are a _much _better match in that department."

Somehow that bit of information on Tommy did nothing to faze Jason. "Sometimes my libido is really high, sometimes it's really not."

"It's different with everyone. Sexual compatibility can be a huge part of a relationship. If it's not there, it's just not there, and it's nobody's fault. You might just not have met the right person, yet." She lowered her voice. "Or perhaps you had _amazing _chemistry with . . . with the wrong person."

Jason's muscles tensed up all over again. He had to force himself to unclench his jaw, but still couldn't make himself speak.

She let out a deep breath. "You remember Skull, right?" She took another, resolving breath, like she was psyching herself up. "Well, there's this _thing _between us. I can't really . . . Well." She paused, considering her words. "Okay. I can't believe I'm saying this. We had sex once. And I'm not going to go into details because I really don't want to right now, but it was, hands down—and it pains me to admit this—the most incredible sex I have ever had. With _Skull_. The idea still revolts me. He's gotten better, but he's still one of the creepiest people I've ever hung around, and sometimes his comments absolutely make my skin crawl, but. Well, there you go. Sexual chemistry through the roof! And I find myself sometimes, even now, wondering if he'd just_ grow up_ and stop being such a creep . . ."

"It's Zack." Saying it aloud to someone else hit Jason like a wall of bricks, completely knocking the breath out of him.

But Kimberly understood. "I sort of guessed." Into the silence, she tentatively said, "You don't want him to be? I mean, at least it's not Skull . . ."

Jason's pulse had quickened and he forced himself to concentrate on his breathing. He wasn't prone to hyperventilation at all, but this was territory he'd never gone down with anyone before. "It's . . ." he began, but had to stop and swallow away the tightness in his throat. "It's complicated."

"Here, let me try to piece it together. You and Zack have this weird connection through the morphing grid. It's really great and you really like it, except, what? Oh. Of course: he's not gay, is he? No, or . . . you're asexual? Is that what that's about? He wants sex and you don't?"

"That's not it." Jason had never wanted to curl into a ball and die more than he wanted to now. He knew Kimberly meant well, but it was too much too soon.

And it was at least three years overdue.

It was dark in Kimberly's bedroom, but Jason squeezed his eyes shut. Although she was right next to him, Jason couldn't hear Kim breathing any more over the pounding of his heart. He drew in a ragged breath and forced the words out. "The sex is . . . more than good." He let the rest of his breath out almost explosively.

Beside him, Kimberly lay patiently, and he imagined the world must be perfect and calm to her. Jason felt he was at the bottom of the lake, swimming fiercely toward the surface, but making no progress.

Through the darkness, Kimberly reached out and squeezed his shoulder. Her touch was ice cold, but warm all at once. It cut through the watery fog in Jason's head. He opened his eyes and sat up.

"It's okay," she said, sounding like it wasn't the first time she'd said it.

This was so much worse without having gotten the chance to talk to Zack today, and the fact that it was his relationship _with _Zack that was causing the anguish in the first place made Jason feel lightheaded. He flopped back down, rocking the bed. "It's been over a year," he finally said. "I took up another color. I thought the feeling would fade."

"So, you . . . still want him?" she ventured.

"God." Jason flung an arm over his eyes.

"But, Trini says he's been talking nonstop about you visiting. He obviously wants to see you again, too." She paused. "Does the connection only work one way, or something?"

"No." He kicked the sheets off. "He wants me as badly as I want him." His skin broke into a cold sweat at the words and he was glad he hadn't had dinner.

"So . . . what's the problem, then?"

"We're both, arguably, straight? Our parents might disown us? We're connected by this thread that we don't even know is real? God's against homosexuality? We both want families? It's _Zack_?"

"Hey." She drew him close, holding his head in her arms, so she could stroke his hair. "Shh. It's all right."

He didn't even realize he was crying until he heard himself sniffle. "I miss him so much, sometimes," he whispered, muffled against her skin and nightgown. "It _hurts_."

"Oh, Jase." She kissed his temple. "Why are you torturing yourself like this?"

He thought the list of reasons he'd just given was more than enough, though some part of him knew the question was rhetorical. He shook his head and just squeezed his eyes shut. To his relief, Kimberly's soothing voice and gentle touch soon lulled him to sleep.

* * *

Getting started in the morning was a nightmare. Kimberly plied him with coffee, but nothing got Jason moving. He was trapped in a fogbank, unable to think clearly. It was a very good thing he didn't have to drive them to the airport.

They found a seat in the terminal together while they waited. Kimberly chewed on her lower lip. "Maybe you should give him a call before we get on the plane."

"From a payphone?" Jason slouched in his chair and didn't open his eyes. "There aren't enough quarters in Vegas."

She stared at her ticket. "It's a really long flight."

"I know." Jason took a deep breath and sat up, opening his eyes. "I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"I can't help it. You look . . . really drawn."

"I just need some more coffee." Jason got to his feet and was proud he didn't stumble. "You need anything?"

"No. Be careful."

It wasn't until they were seated on the plane and somewhere over the Atlantic that she brought it up again. "Why do you have to be on the phone?"

Jason had been drifting in and out of sleep for the last few hours. "What?"

"The connection. Why would being on the phone make any difference? You're still physically like 6,000 miles away."

"I don't know. I guess it's his voice?" He smiled slightly at the thought.

"Have you ever experimented with other ways? Like, maybe just thinking about each other at 5pm would work, without the phone call?" She breathed a soft laugh. "Actually, Rocky told me once that's what he used to do when Adam was grounded. They'd just _think _at each other."

"Mm." Jason gave an amused grunt. "I can see that working for someone like Rocky."

"Omigosh." Kimberly's eyes widened.

Intrigued by the outburst, Jason glanced over at her. "What?"

"I just realized." Her eyes were darting back and forth. "Rocky and Adam!" She looked at him. "They're the same! I mean, they took your powers." She winced and lowered her voice. "I mean, after you and Zack left. They became the new Red and Black and they were _always _hanging out. What if his need to _think _at Adam was the same connection? Do you think it could be exclusively a Red-Black Ranger thing?"

It made more sense than Jason cared to admit. "But, Rocky and Adam aren't . . ." His stomach did a little flip. "I mean, I went on a couple of double dates with Adam and Tanya. Adam's not . . ." He could finish the sentence.

Kimberly raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm waiting for you to get it."

He stared at her, hoping he'd get it too, but his mind remained a fuzzy world he couldn't focus on.

"_You _were dating _Emily _despite this! Why _couldn't _Adam have dated Tanya? He was probably going through the same turmoil." She crossed her arms. "Poor Rocky."

"You don't know that's it. They were . . . they were Blue and Green by then, anyway."

"You said the color change didn't affect anything."

"For _me_. I have no idea if those two . . ." Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. He was getting a headache.

"I bet that's it, though. I bet it's a Red-Black thing." She nudged her shoulder into his. "I wish you had asked Zordon."

"Keep it down," he muttered. "People are going to think we're crazy."

"Doesn't it excite you, though? You obviously wanted someone to talk to about it, otherwise you wouldn't have asked about me and Tommy. Now you've got someone to talk to. You still see Adam sometimes, don't you?"

"No." Jason wished he could stretch out his legs. "I don't . . . I'm not going to tell _Adam _about this . . . this _thing _with Zack. No way. And if he and Rocky have the same problem, then I _know _he's not going to want _me _to know about it."

"What? Why not? They've got to be as confused as you two."

"Look, I don't know about Rocky, but Adam is . . . not into guys. There's just no way."

"Oh?" Kimberly raised an eyebrow at him. "The same way you're not into guys?"

Jason flopped back in his uncomfortable airline chair. He was hot. The air was stale. His ears were tired from the endless roar of the engine outside. His eyes were gritty. "I don't want to think about this."

Kimberly was quiet for a short while before leaning her head against his arm. "It's almost 1999, Jase."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means."

He stared at the in-flight movie on screen at the front of the cabin, watching the actors go silently through their roles. He knew exactly what she meant, even though he wished he didn't. Quietly softly, he said, "I'm not gay."

"No one said you had to be." She reached out and held his hand. "But your friends will still love you no matter what. And, there's no doubt in my mind that you'd still love your friends no matter what, too. I mean, what if Adam was? Would that change your opinion of him?"

Jason frowned. He was way too out of it to think. "No. I don't know. He's not, so it doesn't matter. His parents would kill him."

"That's what it's really about, isn't it?" Kimberly squeezed his hand. "It's not hard to be gay. It's just as easy as being heterosexual. The only hard part is the way our society treats you. If there wasn't a stigma, if it didn't disappoint so many parents, if no one _cared_, don't you think it would be easy?"

He didn't answer and she didn't press the issue, but despite his perpetual fog, Jason's mind couldn't seem to stop turning her words over.


	2. Chapter 2

**PART TWO:**

Within minutes of landing, Jason could _feel _Zack.

They had agreed not to meet at the airport—there was way too much potential for extreme awkwardness—and yet he was _near_. They were now breathing the same Swiss air. Although the rest of the people disembarking the plane moved sluggishly, weary from flight, Jason felt a jolt of revival. It was nothing compared to the phone calls, but after such withdrawal it helped significantly.

He found himself _thinking _at Zack and knew that Zack was watching the flight itinerary somewhere not-too-far-away, thinking of him, too. Maybe it was a placebo.

Maybe it really did work.

Kimberly clutched her coat to her chest. "You sure perked up."

Jason took a deep breath of the fresh air once they made it out of the airplane, nostrils flaring. "I can tell he's close."

"Okay. That's officially a little creepy. Brr." She shrugged into her jacket. "Trini's supposed to meet us at baggage claim." She stared up at the signs and blinked slowly.

"This way." Jason led her, navigating the familiar airport with relative ease.

Trini was waiting at the carousel just like she'd said she'd be. She was in a long black coat, lacking even a bit of yellow, so Kimberly almost missed her. Jason spotted her immediately.

"There," he said, nudging Kimberly.

"Omigosh, Trini!" She abandoned her carry on and flung herself across the room and into Trini's arms.

It was impossible not to smile at the sight, and Jason picked up Kimberly's carry on and brought it over. "Hey. Good to see you again."

"Jason." Trini gave him a hug once she extracted herself from Kimberly. "How are you?"

"Good." He nodded. "Tired."

"I'll bet. Well, let's get your luggage and get back to my place."

The words gave Jason's heart a little tug; he was so tired of waiting. "How's Zack?"

"All right." Trini only glanced at him, but her eyes were keen. "Here." She put a neat little stack of coins into his hand. "There's a payphone over there." She nodded over his shoulder. "He told me to use my discretion. I think you need it. We'll get your bags."

Jason blinked and then realized what she meant. It was a little overwhelming thinking that _Trini knew too_, but he didn't stand around to talk. He just managed to breathe, "Thanks" before hurrying over to the phone.

Dialing from a Swiss phone was more than a little strange, and the line was noisy and had a worse connection than the international one he got through his house in America, but he didn't care.

"_Allô_?"

As soon as Zack's voice hit him, a wash of serenity came over Jason. "It's me."

"Oh. Hey."

There was silence as they drank in one another's presence, and the knowledge that Zack needed it every bit as much as Jason did filled him with longing.

"How was the flight?"

Jason swallowed. The lightheadedness he'd felt for the last three days was starting to fade; the airport was becoming very loud and crisp. "We didn't crash."

Zack breathed a laugh. "Always a good thing."

"Calling was a good idea."

"I'm no genius. It's just selfishness on my part, really."

"Yeah. We haven't gone that long without in a while, have we?"

"No."

Jason couldn't stop taking deep breaths; it was wonderful to be able to breathe again. "When do I get to see you?"

Zack took a few moments to answer. "Tomorrow."

"_Tomorrow_?"

"Yeah. I think that's for the best. You get settled and acclimated and we both . . . recover a bit."

As much as he hated it, Jason knew Zack was right. "Can I call you from Trini's?"

"Yeah. That's probably a good idea."

"Zack." Jason pulled on the phone's metal cord nervously. "I think I'm ready."

"That's the withdrawal talking."

"I mean it."

"You'd promise me anything to touch you if I was there right now and we both know they'd be empty promises."

Jason ignored that. "I told Kim. She thinks Rocky and Adam are the same way we are. That there's something specifically Red-Black." He leaned against the phone booth. "She's so good to talk to."

"Yeah. Now I know you're feeling it. We'll talk more later, okay, bro? The girl's have probably got your luggage by now."

Not ready to hang up so soon, Jason said, "I missed you."

"I missed you, too. Don't think this isn't hard on me as well. Call later."

To Jason's shock, Zack hung up the phone. The line went dead and he heard his money deposit completely. He tried the return, then hung the receiver back in the cradle and slumped against the booth. The warmth of being connected to Zack again was fading fast. The fog had cleared, but it was still on the edges.

Turning around, he found the girls standing not far away, laden with luggage, casually watching him. He picked up his pace and hurried over, knowing that the sooner he got to Trini's the sooner he could call Zack back.

* * *

They hadn't planned it, but Jason spent the entire night on the phone with Zack. Trini and Kimberly went out to dinner, but Jason called Zack and curled up on the couch that he was to sleep on, and eventually passed out while still connected to Zack.

Zack had disconnected by the time Jason finally woke the next morning, but he felt _alive _and knew they must have kept the connection open for hours, just sleeping on the phone together.

After a shower and breakfast, Jason felt better than he had in _months_.

"Look at you!" Kimberly admonished when she saw him. "Did Zack sneak over here last night or something?"

"We may've had one epically long phone call last night." Jason checked his hair in the mirror by Trini's front door. He raised his voice, to reach Trini in the other room. "If you have a crazy phone bill this month, let me know."

"Consider it my treat." She came into the main room fashionably bundled for the cold.

"Ohmigosh! I love that coat, Trini!"

Trini grinned and gave a little spin. "I thought you might."

"And those shoes! You have _got _to show me where you bought those shoes!"

"We have got a lot of shopping to do."

Kimberly stared at Jason. "This is gonna be the best Christmas ever!"

"I thought," Trini said, picking up her purse, "we would go over to Zack's today for lunch. He suggested we have a private reunion so we don't have to worry about Ranger things."

Jason was pretty sure Zack wanted it private for another reason entirely. He couldn't make himself look at Kimberly. "Sounds good to me. Should I, uh." He looked at his suitcases. "Maybe I should bring them? Just in case?"

"I think that's a good idea," Trini agreed. "He said you might . . . well, I wanted to take Kimberly shopping tonight, so it would be nice if you boys spent some time together while we did. You are welcome to come with us, though, if . . . if you want."

If things don't work out, she means, he thought. "Thanks." It was all he could manage. He filled the silence by grabbing his suitcase and carry on, dragging them over.

"Well!" Kimberly sprang to her feet, clapping her hands. "I'm ready to go if you two are."

It was beautiful and cold out and Jason drank in the crisp air. Geneva had its own level of air pollution, but it felt nothing like what they got on the Southern California coast. As he watched the Swiss homes and buildings fly by in a blur, he reflected on his conversation with Zack the other day.

He still _longed _for Zack, but the phone call last night had rejuvenated him. It had been enough, he hoped, to keep him level-headed and well behaved this afternoon. What it hadn't done was diminish what he'd said the night before—he was _ready_.

The potential of the words scared him, but not as much as the thought of getting back on that plane in two weeks and feeling that hollow, gaping maw swallow up his thread to Zack again.

When the streets started to look familiar and Jason's pulse began to quicken, he snapped out of his reverie and found himself in familiar territory. Those were the light posts on Zack's street. That was the tree he walked past on his way to the shops. There was the house with all the potted plants out front. He laughed as they drove past the same old tired-looking pug flopped down on the top step of the same old flat he knew was not far from Zack's.

Kimberly was giving an excited running narrative that consisted of little more than vocally observing everything they passed. "He's so close to the water! I can't believe how cute these flats are. Did you see that dog? Look at all those flowers! Ohmigod, I want her sweater! _That _is a totally adorable car. You're slowing down! Is this it? Is that where Zack lives? This is so amazing!"

It was strangely comforting to see that Zack hadn't moved out of his tiny three-room flat. Trini parked along the street. Upon getting out, Jason was hit with a wave of comfort; it felt like coming home considerably more than it had when he'd moved back in with his parents.

The funny thing was he had never lived here.

His heart was pounding right until the front door opened, revealing Zack. Ice cold air washed over him, invigorating and crisp, and he could _breathe _again and the air tasted pure and Iright/i and IBlack/i. Seeing him after all these months was overwhelmingly indescribable and Jason couldn't form words. He just reached out and enveloped Zack in a hug.

Touching sent electrical surges through his skin, as sure as though electrodes had been attached at the point of contact. Warmth followed immediately, spreading over the skin that the icy burst of air had chilled.

"Oh, _man_," Jason managed at length. "It's good to see you."

"Same, bro." Zack pulled back at least a hundred years before Jason was ready for him to. His eyes were on Kimberly. "Hey, girl. Looking good!" He released Jason and went to hug her.

Every nerve in Jason's body twitched at the disconnection and he put a hand out to catch himself on the doorframe.

Kimberly got the weight of Zack stumbling into her. "Easy, Zack."

Trini quickly stepped up to help Kimberly support him. "Maybe you two should sit down."

For a few minutes, things happened without Jason noticing. When he began to focus again, it was because his leg was warm. Blinking the spots out of his eyes, he discovered he was on the comfortable black leather couch in Zack's main room with Zack leaning against him. He inhaled deeply again, drinking in the contact. His hand slid off his lap and his fingers entwined with Zack's.

"They're coming around," Trini called. Her smiling face swam into view. "You gave us quite a fright."

"Tea is served!" Kimberly said, appearing with a tray laden with teapot and cups. She set it down on the coffee table with a flourish. "And now I have _got _to get my camera, because this is just too precious for words."

"I'll pour." Trini flipped over the tea cups and while Kimberly scurried off, she filled the cups and soon was pressing one into Jason's free hand.

"Some host I am," Zack mumbled.

His voice sent chills racing through Jason, and helped him to sit up just in time for Kimberly to snap a photo of them.

Zack took a deep breath of his own and sat up as well. He kept hold of Jason's hand, but took the cup of tea Trini offered him with the other. "Mm, guess the secret's out?"

It was only then that Jason noticed Zack had shaved off all his hair.

"This is a secret you never should have been keeping," Trini admonished.

"Your hair," Jason said. Zack looked at him and it was very hard not to get lost in his gaze.

"I was worried you wouldn't like it. You don't like it?"

"I didn't say I don't like it."

"They're ignoring me, aren't they?" Trini glanced at Kimberly.

"It's just different," Jason said, eyes focused on Zack. Ridiculously, all he could think about was did he _throw the hair away_ and _why didn't he give it to me_? "We've been apart _way _too long."

"You're having weird thoughts, too?"

"That makes three of us," Kimberly said.

Trini raised her hand. "Four."

"_Man_!" Jason broke into a grin. "This is great. I haven't felt this good in _months_!"

Kimberly smoothed her skirt out and sat on the edge of the coffee table. "Kay, so, do one of you two want to explain exactly what's going on here, now?"

Jason couldn't take his eyes off Zack, but he said, "You know everything I know."

"I don't know anything more than he does." Zack grinned at Jason. "There's a connection. A very real, very Red and Black connection."

"Something to do with the Power." Trini took her own cup of tea and settled back into the nearby armchair. "You two should've asked Zordon about this long ago."

"They're _boys_," Kimberly pointed out. "We're lucky they didn't get themselves killed first. Getting Jason to even admit anything was like extracting teeth." She paused. "No, worse."

"How long has this been going on?"

Jason raised his eyebrows in thought. It wasn't something he and Zack had ever discussed. "Since . . ."

"The beginning?" Zack suggested.

Kimberly stared. "What, you mean fourth grade?"

"The Rangers," Zack clarified.

"I was gonna go with fourth grade."

"_Cute_." Zack gave Jason a look that said he was not swayed.

"So, we definitely know it's a Ranger thing." Trini took a contemplative sip of her tea.

"And it's been there since the beginning, which was like _six years ago_ and you two never told any of us, or even Zordon?"

"It wasn't a problem until Jason left Switzerland," Zack said. "I'm not even sure we were aware of it when we were still . . ."

". . . Rangers." Jason nodded. "I was aware of it; I just thought it was, you know . . ."

"Yeah," Zack agreed. "Part of the Power. That's the thing about it. It's totally unlike anything you've ever felt, and yet . . ."

"It feels so normal."

"And so . . . _right_."

Jason nodded.

Kimberly exchanged a glance with Trini. "Okay, they are officially creeping me out now."

At length, Jason was able to look away from Zack. "We're creeping you out?"

"How?"

"You two are finishing each other's sentences," Trini said. "It's a little disconcerting."

"Oh." Jason sank back into Zack's gaze. That was a lot more acceptable than he'd anticipated.

Zack grinned. "We do that all the time."

"Sooo," Kimberly hazarded, "this isn't something you two are looking to cure?"

Jason tilted his head, studying Zack's features acutely. "I used to want to."

"He just didn't want people to know he was interested in guys."

"I'm not interested in guys. I'm interested in you."

Kimberly made a face. "Well, they're cute like this, at least." She picked up her camera and snapped another photo.

Although the idea now horrified him, Jason asked, "How would we even cure it, if we could?"

Trini set down her cup. "We would have to contact Zordon again, somehow. Isn't Tommy still a Ranger?"

Kimberly frowned. "No. Everybody is different now. Didn't you see the newscast when they took the shuttle and left Earth? They didn't even take Justin."

"Justin?"

Jason blinked a few times. "He's a kid who . . ." He shook his head. "He was the Blue Ranger for a while. Look, if anyone still knows how to get in touch with Zordon and the other Rangers, it'd be him." He sighed. "I wish Billy were here."

"Yeah," Trini said. "Then it'd really be like old times."

Kimberly nodded. "And he could whip up a communicator out of coffee cans and tinfoil for us in no time."

"Well, it's not like the connection is so bad." Zack gave Jason's hand a squeeze. "Not when you don't resist it."

"It could be dangerous, though," Kimberly said.

Trini nodded. "What if the new Rangers have it?"

Kimberly set aside her mug. "Or Rocky and Adam."

Jason let out his breath. "_I'm_ not gonna ask."

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "I'll ask. I was pretty close to Rocky, once."

Zack's eyebrows rose. "You were?"

She shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Sure. He used to tutor me in math. I always felt a bit stupid asking Billy to, since he'd gone over all those equations with me like, hundred times before." She smiled. "Rocky was always very patient about explaining things again and again." She narrowed her eyes. "He's also not a homophobe."

"Hey," Jason protested. "I'm not." He felt the first tiny trickle of doubt flicker through him. "Maybe my dad is, a little."

"He is," Zack said, not taking his eyes off Jason, "a lot." He shifted his gaze to the girls. "His dad's the kind of guy who's totally cool with gay people, so long as they keep out of sight, don't cause trouble, and especially so long as his only son is definitely not one."

"Jase." Kimberly put a comforting hand on his arm.

"I know many people like that, too," Trini said. "Some in my own family."

"I don't care anymore." Jason kept his gaze on Zack. "Maybe this is the Power influencing us; maybe it just brought out what was already there. I don't care. I've spent a year with you and I've spent a year without you and they were the best and worst years of my life, respectively. Being with you feels _right_. I don't care if other people have a problem with who I want to spend my life with; I don't want to share it with Ithem/i, anyway. I want to share it with _you_."

Zack bobbed his head. "You really mean that?"

Jason felt heady from the Power, but clear and rational. "Every word."

Zack's gaze didn't deviate. "You guys wanted lunch before I took him to the back room to ravish, right?"

"That's our cue," Kimberly said, springing up from the coffee table.

"We'll leave your suitcases in the living room," Trini said, following suit.

Jason reached out, grabbed Zack's shirt and hauled him close for an extremely overdue kiss. It was better than the hot, passionate kisses they'd stolen when this began. This was long and deep and intense. This was confident and _right_.

Kimberly stared. "I don't think they're going to make it to the bedroom."

"We'll leave the suitcases outside the front door!"

"Give us a call later," Kimberly said. "You know, tomorrow."

"Kim, c'mon!"

Zack broke the kiss once the front door finally shut. "I thought they'd never leave."

Jason wasn't capable of speech. His jaw worked at thin air, trying to find that mouth and tongue again.

"There were Rules about this, you remember."

"Mm." Jason reached for him, tingling as his fingers pushed up shirt and felt skin.

"_Jason_."

It was sharp enough that his eyes refocused on the beautiful, familiar face in front of him. It took a moment to get his mouth to respond. "What?" His brain engaged a few seconds later, replaying Zack's last words in his head. Rules. Oh, yeah.

"Say it."

Pure adrenaline flooded Jason when he realized what Zack meant. All the months of fear and doubt melted off him, replaced with absolute conviction. "I love you." He reached out and cupped Zack's face in his hands, drinking in the shocked expression he now wore. "I meant every word back there. I love you. I think I always have. I just . . . I just couldn't say it before. I needed time." He wanted to kiss Zack again, but his need to say these things was suddenly stronger. "I'm so sorry I made you suffer. I was an idiot. I should've known that first week when we were both so sick from withdrawal . . ."

"Shh." Zack raised his hands to cover Jason's. His eyes had welled up. "Stop it. You needed time." He turned his face to kiss Jason's palm. "We both did. And now we know."

"It's real."

Zack nodded and kissed his palm again. "So, no more Rangering?"

There wasn't even a pang of loss. "No more Rangering."

"No more hiding? No more lies?"

Jason nodded, watching Zack's mouth against his skin, feeling it burn into him. "I'll do whatever you ask, Zack. Anything."

His dark eyes flickered up, capturing Jason's. "What about your parents?"

"What about yours?"

"Mm. They'll get used to it."

"Yeah." Jason tried to tug him closer. "Will you come back to America?"

"You asking me to move in with you, Mr. Scott?"

Joy bubbled up inside him. "_Yes_."

Zack chuckled and kissed him again. "I'll think about it. Why don't we see how you behave over these next two weeks, first?"

Jason grinned. "I thought you liked when I was naughty?"

"I didn't say it had to be _good _behavior."

"Mm." Jason kissed Zack's neck, drinking in his scent and taste at long last. "I'll do anything you ask."

"I could certainly get used to an obedient boyfriend. You can start by carrying me into the bedroom."

The word _boyfriend _sent an excited thrill coursing through Jason that it had never done before. He slid a hand under Zack's legs and another behind his back and was on his feet in almost no time. Zack wasn't light and walking with an erection was not easy; he almost dropped Zack twice, but it was worth it to get him back on that big, familiar bed.

Zack stopped him before Jason could kiss him again. He was smiling, his eyes filled with love, but he said, "I'll never survive if you leave like that again."

There was no fear in Jason's heart. "I won't." He kissed Zack. "I won't. Never again. I promise."

* * *

Jason didn't even _think _about calling the girls until after the sun had set the following day. The only reason he did was that after he showered (again), he wanted to put on something more than Zack's flimsy house robe, and realized he had no clothing.

"They were supposed to leave my suitcases in the living room." Jason cheered himself up by wrapping his arms around Zack's middle from behind.

"It was a little occupied when they left. Can you blame them?" Zack was staring into the pantry, but tilted his head to give Jason's mouth better access to his neck. "I'm feeling like pasta tonight, how about you?"

"Sounds good. Is there enough for four? We should probably invite the girls back over so I can have something to wear."

Zack leaned back into the thin fabric of the house robe. "Remind me exactly why you need clothes?"

Jason nipped at Zack's neck. "So you can tear them off again?"

"Mm. I'll get the phone."

Jason followed him as he made the call, kissing his shoulder while he waited.

"You gonna keep that up when they're here?" he teased. "Hello? Oh, hey, Kim. Yeah, it's the Zack man. No, you don't need to get her. Listen, you two busy tonight? I know it's a little short notice, but Jason and I were gonna throw together some pasta, maybe a salad, and we thought you two might like to come back over now that things are a little more settled down." He laughed. "Oh, yeah. Great, great. No, that's perfect. Oh, and, uh, when you do, could you bring over Jason's suitcases? He seems to think he needs to wear clothes while he's here."

He paused, and Jason could hear Kimberly's laughter on the other end.

"You did? Oh. We must have not heard. No, I'll go check now. Jason, stop that." Zack gently swatted him aside. He pressed the receiver to his shoulder. "Kim says they left your suitcases outside the front door."

Jason stared at him, and then narrowed his eyes. "I may vaguely remember Trini telling me that."

"Go check." He swatted Jason's behind as he left.

Pulling the house robe closed around him, Jason opened the unlocked front door and sheepishly stared down at his suitcases. "Thank God for Swiss honesty." He began dragging them inside, shivering at how cold it was outside.

"Yeah, he's got them, thanks. No, it wasn't your fault." Zack soon appeared by Jason's side and shut and locked the front door. "Give us an hour? Pick up a bottle or two of wine on your way." He chuckled. "Drinking age is eighteen here, girl." He paused, watching Jason drag the suitcases to the couch. "Oh, you did? That's . . . is that good? I see. Well, tell us about it when you get here. See you soon." He hung up and went and grabbed the carry on. "Out there the whole time, huh?"

"Yeah. I can't believe I forgot. Just glad no one stole it."

"Well, you hardly needed it. My robe and a spare toothbrush and you're all set." He kissed Jason. "The ladies will be here in about an hour, in case you didn't hear. Turns out Kim had a little chat with Rocky this morning. Should prove interesting." Zack hefted up the carry on. "C'mon, we don't have much time. Let's get these into the bedroom so I can decide what I want to peel off you later."

Dinner was pleasant and the conversation nostalgic, but Zack tabled any Ranger discussion until after they'd eaten and consumed both bottles of wine. They eventually made their way, giggling, back to the living room, where Jason, Zack and Trini collapsed onto the couch together like they had dozens of times before and Kimberly cheerfully folded herself up into the armchair.

Trini kicked off her shoes and snuggled up against Jason, chuckling. "I wish you could have been here for all the good times, Kim. Living in Switzerland has really opened my eyes to so many things."

"The shopping certainly appeals." Kimberly smoothed out her new skirt. "I think I'd miss home too much, though. This place is beautiful, but . . . I don't know. I was never jealous I wasn't picked for the conference."

"I'm glad of that," Trini said. She closed her eyes. "I think Billy always was. He did so well leading the World Teen Summit. He should have been first choice for the World Peace Conference."

Kimberly shook her head. "He wasn't jealous. Well, perhaps at first, but he told me more than once that he was glad he'd stayed in Angel Grove."

The wine made Jason feel Billy's absence even more. "Still can't believe he's on another planet."

"I know, huh?" Kimberly looked at him. "Sometimes I see something that makes me want to call him up and talk to him about, and then I remember I can't and it hurts all over again. Long distance calling to Switzerland can't compare to Aquitar."

Jason had been the only Earth Ranger there when Billy departed. Even the memory of it now tugged at his heart. Billy had seemed happy on Aquitar when he'd contacted them later, but Jason still had the nagging sensation that he hadn't really wanted to go; not _really_. Certainly not _forever_. "Billy knew what he was doing. You guys did a lot more to save the world back in Angel Grove than we ever did here."

"That's not true," Kimberly protested. "They're both really important jobs."

"I'm just glad we're all retired now," Zack said, putting his feet up on the coffee table. "I'm glad Earth has Power Rangers, but I'm even gladder I don't have to worry about my friends getting hurt when I see them on the news."

"I agree," Trini said. "And so we can all visit again. And drink too much wine."

"Yeah." Zack grinned at her. "It only took three years!"

"Hey, those plane tickets were expensive!"

Jason's smile faded slightly at the mention of money. He reached out and took up one of Trini's hands and one of Zack's. "It really means a lot to me to come back here and get to experience all of this with my best friends. Sometimes I can't believe how much we've all been through together. Rangers, Switzerland, . . . Divatox."

"Retirement," Zack fondly said.

Kimberly unfolded on the chair a little. "You never were crazy about being a Power Ranger, were you?"

Zack shrugged. "I'm grateful for the opportunity. It brought all of us a lot closer." He gave Jason's hand another squeeze. "But, I don't miss it." He glanced at the others. "Not the way Jason did."

"You two wouldn't have formed this . . . thread if it weren't for the Power, though."

"Doesn't mean we wouldn't have ended up this way."

"The thread helps, though," Jason quietly said. "I don't know that I would have ever . . ." He shrugged and tightened his grip on Zack's hand. He swallowed, feeling himself sober slightly. "You said you spoke to Rocky earlier?"

"Oh, yeah." Kimberly stretched out her legs, crossing them at the ankle. "It was a little awkward. I mean, the connection was bad and I didn't want to just come out and ask about he and Adam . . ."

Jason was suddenly not sure he wanted specifics on this. "You asked if he had any weird Power-related connections to another Ranger?"

Kimberly eyed him a moment. "Yeah."

Trini released Jason's hand. "And?"

"And, . . . he said he did." Kimberly kept her eyes on Jason. "Then he told me he once asked Zordon about it."

Jason nearly choked. "_Rocky _asked Zordon?"

"It seems at least _one _of you guys isn't afraid to ask for help."

Fear suddenly gripped Jason. What if Rocky had asked Zordon and had been _cured_? What if that's why Adam's Zeo Crystal had turned Green? What if they could turn off the affects of their own influence? Would Zack want to? Would _he_? "And?"

"I didn't exactly press him for information. It's just a good thing Rocky's so eager to talk to any of his old friends. I couldn't have ever gotten anywhere like this with Adam without it being completely obvious why I was asking. Rocky's at college now, you know."

"Good for him," Trini said.

Jason wanted to be happy for Rocky, but he was too gripped with fear. "What did Zordon say?"

"He implied that Zordon knew there was a connection, but that he had no influence over it."

"That's it? Why didn't he tell us about it?" Zack glanced from her to Jason and back. "And why would there be a connection just between the Red and Black Rangers? That doesn't make any sense."

Jason glanced to Trini. "You and Billy were pretty close when you were Rangers. Did you two ever have any sort of connection?"

She crossed her arms and shook her head, but her eyes were unfocused in thought. "No. Nothing like this. But, I wonder . . ." She blinked out of her reverie. "Are you very familiar with the ancient Greeks?" After everyone shook their heads negatively, she sighed softly. "There was a group of soldiers once, the Sacred Band of Thebes, I think they're called. They were elite soldiers, made up of sets of male lovers. It was believed that being in battle with your lover meant you would be stronger and fight more fiercely than you would with merely a brother-at-arms. They were extremely effective."

"Wow," Kimberly said. "Really?"

Jason felt his hackles rising and saw his arm hair standing all on end. He wasn't sure he could verbalize the thought, but that felt _right_.

"So, with Jason as leader," Zack began, "it decided to form a bond with me?"

Jason was thinking about fourth grade again. "Maybe it knew."

"We don't know the cause and effect," Trini said. "Whether you two fell in love because of the bond, or if the bond was created because you two were lovers."

"Tommy and I didn't have a bond."

"And Rocky and . . ." Jason swallowed Adam's name. "Whoever did? Do? What about when Tommy took Red?"

"I don't know," Trini said. "You would have to ask Rocky to clarify."

"Tommy became Red, but Adam turned Green," Kimberly pointed out. "So if it's only something that affects Red and Black Rangers, maybe it's not affecting them?"

Jason was only slightly relieved that they wouldn't have to ask Tommy if he'd ever wanted to sleep with a man. "Red as leader makes sense, but Rocky wasn't leader when he was Red. If it's that Greek thing, like Trini says, then it should have been White and Pink when Tommy was leader and you were dating."

Trini shrugged. "Maybe it only works between men."

"Then the Power has a sick sense of humor."

Trini didn't laugh. "The Power isn't a laughing matter, Jason. It's there to protect us and help us defend the Earth. If it thinks it can do that best by making the Red and Black Rangers into lovers to fight better, regardless if they're leaders, that's what it's going to do."

"Perhaps it knew you and Tommy wouldn't last?" Zack suggested.

"Maybe." Kimberly sat forward in her chair. "But, you guys, you have to remember: Zordon didn't make the Power. He didn't even make the Power Coins. He knows a lot and he always spoke in ways to keep us feeling confident, but he didn't know everything." She slumped back into her chair. "This could all just be the Power's influence and completely beyond his knowledge or control."

Trini leaned back, too. "I wish we could ask him."

"Why can't we?" Zack asked. He shrugged when Jason stared at him. "_We _know where the Command Center is, don't we? I mean, I'm the last guy who wants to go back to that place, but if we _had _to, I'm sure we could find it again."

Kimberly and Trini exchanged looks. "I emailed Justin last night, too," Kimberly said. "He got back to me pretty quickly when I asked what was up with the new Rangers."

Jason sat up at that, shaking off the last effects of the wine.

"Apparently Zordon's gone, and has been for some time; back home to Eltar."

Zack's brow furrowed. "But . . . then, who's advising the Rangers?"

"He didn't say. Maybe he left someone to help them. Maybe there's no one. Fact is, though, we can't just go to the Command Center and ask him about this now."

Jason felt his brow furrowing as he lost himself in thought.

"If it was really important," Trini said, "wouldn't he have told us?"

Zack shook his head. "Assuming he even knew it was affecting us?"

Kimberly nodded in agreement. "He knew there was an affect. I just don't think he thought it would matter. I respect Zordon _so _much, but he wasn't always the most in touch with human reactions. He might not have realized what sort of emotional toil that kind of connection would have on teenage boys."

Absolute clarity washed over Jason. "It doesn't matter now. The connection exists, it's real, and that's all I need to know."

"I obviously feel the same way," Zack said, squeezing his hand. "But, if it affects every Black and Red Ranger set . . . we ought to at least let them know."

"Why should we? Why is that our problem?"

"Because we were the first. And we only just figured it out. I'd never want Rocky or anyone to have to struggle through what we did. It's hard enough to deal with the feelings without going through withdrawal at the same time."

Jason didn't want to take that responsibility, but Zack was right. Zack was always right. He nodded. "I'll . . . I'll call Rocky sometime and . . ." He ran a hand up into his hair, feeling out of his depth.

"You'll know what to say," Kimberly said. "It's Rocky. He's easy to talk to."

"Yeah. I suppose you're right."

Into the silent lull that followed, Trini said, "I don't know about you, but I think I'm ready for some dessert. Wait until you see the fruit tarts Kim and I made."

They laughed and talked until midnight, by which time the girls were sober again and safe to drive. They made loose plans to sightsee the next day, exchanged hugs and kisses, and then the little three-room flat was silent.

Leaning against the front door, Jason watched Zack as he picked up the coffee cups to bring to the kitchen. His heart swelled with love at the sight and he let himself nurture the feeling. Zack was his; he was Zack's, and he was finally confident enough to admit it.

He straightened the throw pillows on the couch, and then followed Zack into the kitchen. The light was stronger there, making everything feel a bit more real.

After rinsing the cups in the sink, Zack turned to face him, smiling as he crossed his arms. "You're worrying again, aren't you?"

"I'm good at it." He shrugged. "Not about us."

"About the others Rangers?"

Jason nodded. "All the future Reds and Blacks who don't know what they're getting themselves into."

Zack drew him close, stretching up to kiss Jason's forehead. "We didn't turn out so bad, did we? I think they're in for a pleasant surprise."

Jason wrapped his arms around Zack and sighed. "I hope you're right."

"I know I am."

It was so easy to believe Zack; he sounded so sure. Jason closed his eyes and drank in the feeling. Zack was always right, and yet . . . "How can you be so confident?"

Zack gave a little hum. "Because I'm your Black."

Somehow that made absolutely perfect sense. Zack was in his arms and he was warm and strong and perfect. The overwhelming sense of the _right_ness of the moment, his words, of existence itself, triumphed his very last shred of Jason's doubt.

No matter what else happened, all was right in his world. He was Red and he finally, finally had his Black.


End file.
